Clear vinyl vs. regular black vinyl

Donald Fagen was a fanatic about the recording and production process and I seem to remember them saying there was some advantage to them producing Sunken Condos on clear vinyl. It is also a unique record in that it only has music on 3 sides, which is of course better as the music doesn't go as far into the center of each disc where the distortion is maximal from the angle change of the arm to the record. They could have squeezed it onto one record (barely) I belleve or cut a minute somewhere.

I doubt he made this record this way to cut costs. Any music/pressing people out there?

@bdp24 - The clarity vinyl is what is being used on a new release of Kind of Blue marketed as a UHQR (although not the same as the UHQRs made by MFSL in the early 80s) they're selling for $100 as the best re wording of KoB ever. I won't bite though - I have it on a 45 from MFSL. Interestingly enough, this new one is 33 1/3. They'll probably release it on 45 next and charge $125....

My 2 clear records are just clear, not cloudy/milky, but they sound great.

@teo_audio - JVC vinyl was used by MFSL in the late 70s/early 80s. Not sure what they use now, but the newer releases sound great to me - especially the 45s.

Now to find come clarity vinyl LPs....

@petg60 - great album. It is actually a Miles Davis album - same crew as Kind of Blue without Trane. There was an argument with the record label so they had to bill it as a Cannonball Adderly album.It's my second favorite Miles album.

Unfortunately (or fortunately) I already have this on an excellent 180g pressing - not sure which label/pressing, so I wouldn't go for the 45. Now if I didn't already have it.....I'd probably spring for the extra $20-25 bucks or so. But then again I wouldn't have known how great it is and maybe would have just gotten the 180g Analogue Productions or Speakers Corner or whatever.

@bdp24 - I saw that video when I got the email from Acoustic Sounds pushing for preorders. I am sure it is great, but I have that on the MFSL 45, which sounds great and has a photo mini-book and a UHQR like box. I don't think the UHQRs at $100 are moving as fast as they expected, as now they're saying you can buy 3 copies. Originally I think it was one, then 2, to prevent the resellers from scalping them. I think anyone who wants a great recording of this has one, but there are the people (collector types) who will buy 5-6 different issues of the same album and compare them and keep them all. Not sure of the point of it - why not just play the best one all the time? I am not a collector - I am a player. Just like cars - I am a driver, not a collector.

They're making 25K pressings, which is quite a lot. Back in the day UHQRs were limited to 5000 and they numbered them on certificates inside the box. I have them all except the classical one and Tea for the Tillerman. They cost $50 list I think back in the day, which adjusted for inflation after 40 years or so is a bargain at $100, but back then you could easily get them discounted. I think I paid $35-40 a pop, which is about right for inflation at $100, maybe the $100 is a slight bargain.

@petg60 - is that still available? My brother in law has a 4 sided 45 of KOB but it’s black vinyl. That’s worth big $$ unopened.

@frogman - My mistake. I thought PC and the others were on it. The records sound similar, but it was Miles’ record, but he couldn’t release it on his existing label. Think of it, if Cannonball was a newcomer, why would Miles play on his album? Maybe he couldn’t use the rest of his quintet because it would be too obvious to the label that it was his album, not Cannonball’s. He didn’t play on any of Trane’s albums.

@frogman - you know a lot more about this than topic than I do. I had always heard it was a label contract issue. Your explanation/theory makes sense, but I am still keeping it in my Miles albums alphabetically and his rotation, and even though the songs are a different style, it still sounds unmistakably like a Miles album. And we are lucky it happened. I can’t find it currently available on 45 with clarity vinyl or regular vinyl. I really like 45s- they definitely sound better (all things being equal). I’m sure it was sold out.
And Miles’ band for the excellent group of records recorded in the prolific session which produced Relaxin’, Cookin’, Steamin’ & Workin’ were all with the Miles Davis Quintet (those were the titles)  so you were correct. Only KOB was the sextet with 2 guys on sax. I think his other hard bop albums were all quintets as well.

@clearthinker - I didn’t mean to imply Donald Fagen is no longer with us. He is the man.

As I mentioned, I have his 9 year old album, Sunken Condos, which came on clear vinyl (not sure if it is clarity vinyl) but it sure sounds great. I have The Nightfly on a Japanese pressing, and it is one my best sounding records, and a favorite.

I don’t think he makes much $$ with records, but has been touring more in recent years, at least once a year, and hopefully he’ll be around soon. Too bad it will never be billed as Donald Fagen since it sells less tickets which means we don’t get to hear his solo stuff. One of his best concerts was when he toured Morph the Cat (which I wish I could get on vinyl without paying a king’s ransom, just like Kamikiriad) and played What I do (the Ray Charles song) and the H Gang....

Dukes of September tours were great too, except when they played a casino, which was the worst concert of his I’ve ever been at, which was still great.

@clearthinker - It was revived a while before that, but of course the smaller the venue, the better.

I went to Fagen's book signing (interesting book) a few years back and he wasn't the warmest and fuzziest when he was leaving. I asked him if he'd take a quick photo and he just shook his head to walk towards a car waiting for him. No manager, entourage or even assistant. He just acted like a regular Joe.

In his interview, he complained about how he's been ripped off so many times, which may have to do with the lack or reissues on Royal Scam and Pretzel Logic. 

Becker had a pretty tough life and got into drugs big time in the nineties. He had a hot and cold relationship with Donald, but they continued as business partners, and I believe had involvement with some of each others solo projects.

2020 was the first year I didn't see him at least once in quite a while. Hopefully he wants to get back on stage soon, and luckily I am not too far from NY where he lives, so he can play a gig (usually does 2 or 3) down here in Philly ASAP.